How to change Mac volume and brightness from the trackpad
Written by GuruHat, which makes TocaPad.
Short answer: macOS has no trackpad gesture for volume or brightness. You use the keyboard keys, the Control Center sliders or System Settings.
To do it from the trackpad, install TocaPad, a free open-source Mac app. Slide one finger along the right edge for volume or the left edge for brightness.
The built-in ways to change volume and brightness
- Keyboard keys. The volume and brightness keys on the top row (or fn plus a function key). Hold Shift and Option with the key to move in quarter steps.
- Control Center. Click the Control Center icon in the menu bar and drag the Display or Sound slider.
- System Settings. Open Sound or Displays and drag the slider.
All of these work, but each one needs a key press or a trip to the menu bar. If your hands are already on the trackpad, or you use a laptop on a stand with an external keyboard, reaching for the keys is the slow part.
Slide along the trackpad edge with TocaPad
TocaPad is a free menu-bar app (MIT license) that turns the edges and corners of your trackpad into controls.
- Volume: slide one finger up or down the right edge.
- Brightness: slide one finger up or down the left edge.
- On-screen level: a level appears at the top right of the screen, the pointer stays where it was, and Force Touch trackpads tick under your finger at each step.
- Your choice of edge: put either control on the left, right, top or bottom edge, or turn it off.
Corner taps for everything else
See also: Mac trackpad shortcuts and corner taps. Double-tap a corner to mute, play or pause, skip a track, open Mission Control, show the desktop, lock your Mac, take a screenshot, open an app or press any shortcut you record. Every corner starts empty, so nothing happens until you choose.
It stays out of the way
- A touch on an edge right after a key press is ignored, so a resting palm won't nudge the volume.
- A second finger cancels a slide, so scrolling, pinching and swiping work as before.
- Hold Shift and Option while sliding for fine steps.
- You can limit the edges to the bottom quarter of the trackpad if you rest your fingers on the sides.
| Keyboard keys | Control Center | TocaPad | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hands stay on the trackpad | No | Partly | Yes |
| Steps to change volume | One key press per step | Open the menu, then drag | One slide |
| Corner shortcuts | No | No | Yes, four corners |
| Price | Built in | Built in | Free, open source |
What to know before installing
- TocaPad needs macOS 13 or later on Apple silicon, with the built-in trackpad or a Magic Trackpad.
- Brightness works on the built-in display and Apple displays. Most other monitors don't accept brightness changes from macOS, and TocaPad says so in its menu.
- Volume can't be changed on outputs that control it on the device itself, such as many HDMI and some USB speakers.
- Media keys and shortcuts on a corner need Accessibility access. Nothing else does. There is no account and no analytics, and the app only checks GitHub once a day for a new version.
Frequently asked questions
How do I change the volume on my Mac with the trackpad?
macOS has no built-in trackpad gesture for it. Install TocaPad, then slide one finger up or down the right edge of the trackpad. Without an app, use the volume keys or the Sound slider in Control Center.
Can I change Mac brightness from the trackpad?
Yes, with TocaPad: slide along the left edge. It works on the built-in display and Apple displays. Most other monitors don't take brightness changes from macOS.
Is there a way to control a Mac without using the keyboard?
Partly. Control Center, the menu bar and System Settings all work with only the pointer. TocaPad adds slide controls on the trackpad edges and double-tap corner shortcuts such as Mission Control, lock screen, play or pause, and any shortcut you record.
Is TocaPad free?
Yes. It is free and open source under the MIT license, with no account and no analytics. You can download it from guruhat.com or install it with brew install --cask getguruhat/tap/tocapad.